1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bicycle saddles and in particular to a load-bearing frame of a bicycle saddle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known bicycle saddle generally comprises a load-bearing frame and a padding which is fixed on the top surface of the frame. For being adapted to support the body weight of the user and allowing attachment of the saddle onto a bicycle or similar vehicle by suitable fastening means, the whole frame is typically made of rigid materials. The primary drawback of such a prior art frame is that the inside thigh parts of the rider, during pedaling, repeatedly contact the side edge of the rigid frame, thereby causing periodic rubbing and consequent local irritations. Furthermore, in order to run through steep descents or avoid obstacles, riders would rather have their body only supported at the rear part of the saddle. As a result, the muscles of legs and buttocks of riders would directly contact the outer peripheral edge of the rigid frame which thereby creates a localized pressure concentration which adversely affects rider comfort.
For reducing or avoiding the drawback of the prior art frame mentioned above, one possible solution is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 8,919,875. The solution is to provide a frame with a peripheral edge which is constructed to have strip-shaped openings so that the peripheral edge of the frame is more flexible than any other place of the frame. While the frame disclosed in that patent can provide more comfort during pedaling, the outer peripheral edge of the frame is easily fractured due to that the structural intensity thereof is decreased by such strip-shaped openings.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a new frame of a bicycle saddle which has a flexible peripheral edge with enough structural intensity.